Konad Kit from Nail Polish Canada!

Hey everyone! And happy belated Canada Day to all my Canadians out there!
Today I've got a Canadian-appropriate post, with a product review from Nail Polish Canada!

Did you know that Nail Polish Canada carries Konad? They've got plates, polishes, and stamping sets galore.
I'm always wanting to order new Konad plates and supplies because they are simply the best. They just work best! And I'm not just saying this because I'm doing a product review - I truly believe that if you want to start stamping, you should start with Konad. Konad is the easiest to use and gives the best results.
If you're trying to learn a new skill, why not start with the best supplies?

I started my stamping with generic plates, a generic stamper, and regular polishes. It was hard to get good results.
When I started using Konad supplies I was like, "Crap! Why did I waste my time with crap?!"

I should have started with something like this:

The Basic Nail Art Stamping Set by Konad! This set is available on Nail Polish Canada for $17.

In this set you get a stamper, scraper, one plate (m36) and a small bottle of their white stamping polish.
This is all you need to get started!

The back of the package has the instructions on how to use it which are helpful if it is your first time!

I did two different manis to showcase the images on this cute plate.

First I did a mani with all of the images, over my Orly Here Comes Trouble mani.
(I searched far and wide for this polish... But look! It's now available here on Nail Polish Canada.)

I stamped all the images around my nails randomly using the white stamping polish included in the set. All of the images transferred without issue, because that's the way Konad works! Haha!
On my thumb I added blue butterflies as an accent! (Tip! You can tint your white stamping polish into any color you want by adding a little regular polish and the white to some paper and mixing them before painting the mixed polish onto the plate!)

This mani was pretty cool, but I needed something cuter for the second mani.
And I really succeeded, if I may say so myself!

Tada! Butterfly mani! This is probably the most girly/dainty mani I have ever worn but I quite like it.

The base color here is China Glaze Dance Baby, one of my all time favorite pinks, which happens to be available here on Nail Polish Canada!
The first layer of stamping was done with OPI Dim Sum Plum, another pink I love which is very opaque and good for stamping. Also available on NPC! (I swear I did not use these polishes so I could add more links to the post - Nail Polish Canada just happens to carry basically everything I like. And for this reason, I like them!!)

I used the pretty flower images 2 or 3 times on each nail to create a full flower pattern.
Then I added the butterflies randomly with Konad Special White (which too, can be bought alone on NPC.)

I love tone-on-tone stamping, and adding the white butterflies really set it off!
I took some pictures before adding the butterflies too, in case it didn't look nice.

I liked it like this, too! But the more stamps the merrier, I think. Layering stamps brings stamping to a whole new level.

I have one more picture for you guys, that will showcase one of the ways the Konad stamper really is your best bet.

On this nail I stamped the same image on the left and right (but in different directions.)
The left was done with the Konad stamper, the right with a generic one from eBay.
Can you see how the image from the Konad stamper is darker? It just works better. In like 10 ways.

Long story short, Konad plates are the best because they're always engraved right. The Konad stampers are the best because they just do the job. The Konad scraper I am not going to preach about because I like my generic scrapers just fine, too (but you're better off getting something plastic instead of metal.) While lots of polishes are usable for stamping, Konad polishes are the best because they are made for it.

This is not to say you shouldn't use any generic things or other stamping brands! I think you definitely should! But you should start your obsession with Konad because it will make your life easier and prepare you for the difficulties you may face using lesser quality products.
Even if you don't wanna pay up for their plates - please do yourself a favor and get one of their stampers.

Yay for Konad!

Check out all of the lovely Konad products available on Nail Polish Canada right here.
I'm drooling over the kit with all the polishes!

And while we are talking about NPC - did you see the amazing Nfu-Oh polishes they donated to my giveaway? So gorgeous!

Product provided for honest review.

Revlon - Facets of Fuchsia

Hi everyone!

I had planned on posting a product review today but time got away from me (as usual) so I am doing this short post instead, because I don't want another day to go by without a post!

I do have the other one written but I would rather post that earlier in the day, because it seems like more people read blogs in the day time! Hehe. So that will be up tomorrow.

In the meantime... A polish I wanted to love but it did not want to love me.

Revlon - Facets of Fuchsia
The much-talked-about dupe of Deborah Lippmann's Bad Romance.
I wanted this so bad because I wanted Bad Romance so bad.
But then when I got it, I neglected it and kinda forgot about it, until one day a few weeks ago.
But I wish I hadn't remembered it... It was awful.

I have heard many people saying they don't like Revlon because their polishes "never dry." I thought those people were just doing something wrong, but it turns out, they aren't.
THIS POLISH WOULD NOT DRY.
I used Seche Vite as usual - but it didn't dry. I took a nap and 2 hours later, still not dry!

Four hours after applying the manicure I scraped it all off because I realized that it just wasn't going to solidify beyond the outermost layer.

Ugh!
So what did I do, after hating the crap out of this polish and considering breaking it out of angst?
...I ordered Bad Romance.

some manis look better from a distance

Hey guys!

Busy busy busy, it seems I am always busy lately. I promise I will try and get my posting back on a regular schedule!
I have a few moments to write a post now - so it's gonna be short, but it's better than nothing!

I wore this mani the other day, and I love the look... But I did it so poorly! I tried to do it freehand and I really should have used tape so my perfectionist-self could be happy. But no, I had to do it the "fast" way which means the "not as good" way.
So, you're getting one non-zoomed picture. It's just too laughable up close!

It's still pretty cute though, right?
I used China Glaze - I'm With The Lifeguard (green) and Love's A Beach (pink,) and then Color Club Where's The Soiree? for the black.

I really wanna do this again. But with patience. And tape.

Orly - Mermaid Tale

Good afternoon!

If you haven't yet seen my giveaway post, please check it out! I'm so excited about the prizes and I'm so glad to know you guys are too!
In that post, I showed a picture of my hand with a ring. The manicure in that picture got a bit of attention!
So I'll be showing that manicure today.

This green, sparking beauty is Orly - Mermaid Tale from the first batch of polishes in Orly's Flash Glam FX Collection.
Rumor has it there are going to be 22 polishes in that collection... That is a whooooole lot of glitter.
Five of them have been released so far at Sally Beauty Supply and I've got three of them.

I did not expect to love this one as much as I do! The sparkle was so intense and gorgeous! My nails were all like little emeralds.
I layered 2 coats over Color Club - Artsy Crafty, a forest green creme.

There are small and large green glitters in this polish and the big ones are holographic! It was hard to capture but you can see that in the photo above.

These pictures just don't do it justice. It is so freakin' sparkly. I'm in love!

If you can still find this one at your local Sally's, I would totally pick it up. The Flash Glam FX polishes are kinda pricey (between $8 and $10 depending where you are) but I'm convinced this one is worth it.

I haven't tried the others yet, but I hope they're as awesome as this one!

I ♥ My Followers GIVEAWAY!

Hello and welcome to my super awesome giveaway for my super awesome followers!

I've been wanting to have another giveaway for a while but couldn't figure out the right time or the right prizes. But it has finally come together!

A heart-themed giveaway because I ♥ you!

There are gonna be three winners! Let's see the prizes!

Prize #1 includes a bunch of stuff from yours truly! Heart-themed things and handmade things.

- A bottle of Rebecca Likes Cupcakes! This polish is hand made by me with lots of love.
- A bottle of Nicole by OPI - Love Your Life. A polish full of hearts!

- A Nail Art Diva "From The Heart 1" plate! This heart themed plate is just about the cutest plate ever.
Check this mani from my friend Leslie to see just how cute!

- Nail polish jewelery, also made by me!
A big ring, painted like one of my favorite heart manis!
As well as cute little earrings made with Nail-Venturous Floam. I ♥ these so much I had to make a matching pair for myself too.

That's a whole lot of awesome, right?
But wait, there's more!

Prize #2 is two amazingly beautiful Nfu-Oh polishes, donated by Nail Polish Canada!
The blue is #53 and the purple is #51. Holy crap, they are so stunning. I don't own #53 myself but I have a feeling I will need to buy it after seeing it in person, wow!
Scrangie has nice swatches of them - click here for 53 and here for 51.

And last but certainly not least:

Prize #3 is $30 for BornPrettyStore.com! As you probably know, Born Pretty carries just about everything you need for nail art plus much much more. This prize was donated by Born Pretty!

Are you guy as excited for these prizes as I am?!

This giveaway is open internationally and will close at midnight EST on July 20th, 2012.
I will let the first winner choose which prize they would like, and then the second winner can pick from the remaining two, and the final winner gets the last prize.

Thanks again to Nail Polish Canada and Born Pretty for their generous prizes!

Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck!